Senior Aysen Kirca leads Irondequoit into the county tournament. Aysen Kirca Class/age: Senior/17. Height: 5-feet-7. Career stats: In two varsity seasons, she has 1,130 assists, 229 digs, 93 aces, 64 solo blocks and 69 kills. Senior season: 573 assists is a school record, 143 digs, 36 aces and 42 solo blocks.

By Bob Chavez
Democrat and Chronicle

(Friday, February 1, 2002) -- The job of being a setter in volleyball is a lot like that of an offensive lineman in football: No one notices you until you're not there.

Long hours of practice and dedication are not rewarded with trumpets of glory. Fans usually cheer the scoring play, not the play that sets up the score.

Aysen Kirca knows this, but pays no mind.

"When the hitter gets a kill, it's such a good feeling to see that," the Irondequoit senior setter says.

So maybe Kirca doesn't get all the glory.

She does take plenty of satisfaction in knowing her work is instrumental for the hitters on her team that not only get the praise, but score the points that have resulted in Irondequoit's 13-4 record this year.

After all, it doesn't matter how many hitters a team has if there's no one to get the ball to them.

For two varsity seasons, Kirca (pronounced I-shen KIR-ka) has been the player with the deft touch and the split-second decisions to get the ball to the right player. She explains her role with simplicity.

"I take the pass and call most of the plays and set up for the hitters," she says. "But my middle (hitters) help, too, so I'm not the only one."

Sounds easy enough, but try doing that in a game. When all you can see are the flailing arms of teammates and opponents, the cheers of a packed gymnasium and the barking commands of a coach.

Then, in the middle of all that, make your decision in a matter of seconds.

"The movement," she says. "Every second of the game you're doing something different. But you get used to it."

Irondequoit coach Marc Callari likens Kirca's position to something more of a quarterback or point guard.

"She has a lot of decisions to make," he says. "Who and where to get the ball to."

Yet no matter what the comparisons, there's no doubt about one word that describes Kirca's volleyball skills: steady.

She's a great athlete, smart, and isn't afraid to lead, Callari says.

"What separates her is her hands," he says. "She can make some incredible sets."

Making her even more effective is the higher level she has taken her game to, Callari says.

"We've worked on disguising her sets so we don't get predictable," the sixth-year coach says. "We like to run a quick ball up the middle so the defense doesn't know what's coming and she's learned how to do this. She knows who to get the ball to and at the right time."

After breaking her own school record with 573 assists this season, Callari admits it's easy to get used to.

"She knows what we expect from her and I almost take it for granted," he says. "But without her, we're definitely not the same team."